


your love is my turning page

by japrlls



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M, lucaya - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 15:36:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15952322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/japrlls/pseuds/japrlls
Summary: in which a summer vacation upstate shows maya where she really stands with lucas.





	your love is my turning page

**Author's Note:**

> i haven't posted anything in a while and i apologize for that!!! this is just major fluff so enjoy :)

Summer in New York City was a humid, sweltering hell that nobody in their right mind would choose to be- at least in Maya’s opinion. When Shawn had proposed to bring Maya and her friends to his house upstate, they had all immediately agreed. It wasn’t any cooler there, really, but the green trees and freshwater lakes were preferable to the abundance of pigeons and grouchy business people sweating in suits on their way to work. Ever since Shawn had moved with Katy, Maya, and Gamma Hart, he had been renting out his house to folks looking for a nice vacation, yet luckily he had saved a week for a vacation. Which is exactly what everyone needed.

Maya, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, Isadora, and Zay had eagerly climbed aboard the rented van and excitedly chatted about their week away. It was the simple things they had grown to appreciate- with their senior year approaching, the stress of college and school had gotten to all of them, and all of them were in dire need of a week away. While Shawn and Katy sat up front, Maya and Zay had taken a row to themselves, spending the whole ride playing Mad-libs and roping everyone else into playing six rounds of Uno. Riley and Lucas had packed some books and movies to watch, so they dominated the third row. Even though their romance had come to an end at the end of freshman year, the two were still great friends, and their bond was quite strong. Isadora and Farkle both had their own row; Isadora was looking at college pamphlets and Farkle was sleeping. 

Maya was sure it would be a nice getaway- she hadn’t been upstate with Shawn in a while and her friends had never stayed up there with her (except for Riley, of course). She was excited for it, although she would never tell anyone that. She was Maya, afterall. She had an image to maintain. And although she was comfortable around her friends, she wasn’t going to go all soft on them. 

After the three hour drive, the group set up for their stay. Eight days upstate was, to state it simply, a dream come true for the college-oriented teens. Lucas, Zay, and Farkle had eagerly ran to the larger bedroom that wasn’t Shawn’s- it had a bunk bed that Zay and Lucas shared (Maya quipped at them for being children, and Zay had retaliated by calling dibs on the top bunk). The girls had taken the last available room, but jokes on the boys, it had the biggest window and the best view of the trees and the lake. Maya had her sketchbook and pencils, and had spent a good amount of time on the roof drawing everything around her.

The week was drawing to a close, unfortunately. Cory and Topanga had stayed a couple nights, as had Katy, but none of the three adults had been able to stay the whole time. Maya was glad, anyway. She liked having the time to be with her friends, and although Shawn was there, he let the kids have their space when they wanted it. Maya was grateful for this. Ever since Shawn had married her mother, she really felt that her relationship with Shawn was safe and secure. Maya may have remained a Hart, but she cared deeply for Shawn, and was both thrilled and surprised that he was still there. Maya hadn’t always been used to people staying. 

Yes, her biological father had left her when she was only six, but he wasn’t the only one who she had felt abandoned by. Perhaps abandoned wasn’t the right word for the other person, though. She had never been entitled to Lucas Friar.

\-----

Lucas was in the kitchen, deliberately avoiding Riley, Zay, Farkle, and Isadora. The four were currently watching Back to the Future for the seventh time- it was the only DVD Shawn owned in his house upstate, and he didn’t have cable or Netflix at the house upstate. Lucas enjoyed the film, sure- but seven times? He would rather throw himself into the lake fully clothed. 

It was getting darker outside, but the sun was still out. The sky was a nice mixture of grey and blue, and the stars were peeking out already. Lucas missed seeing them. The city lights drowned out the beauty of the night sky, and it had been a while since he had been to Texas.

It was calming.

Looking out the window, Lucas’ eyes caught the image of a small figure sitting on the dock alone- Maya. Lucas figured he’d join her; he and Maya hadn’t had a lot of one-on-one time lately, and with the business of senior year ahead, he doubted they would anytime soon. Plus, at this point, Lucas would do anything to avoid the Back to the Future marathon.

He opened the door and let it close behind him, walking down the porch steps and down the short path to the pier. He had never let go of affection for the blonde beauty, however much he may have tried to hide it. He knew he wasn’t always subtle, but he supposed he was lucky that his friends were oblivious to his somewhat frequent longing looks. Tonight, Maya was wearing a jean jacket borrowed from Topanga, her hair down in waves, her back to him as she looked out at the lake and the pinkining horizon. Lucas walked out onto the wooden pier, taking a seat at Maya’s left side. She shifted, feeling his arm lightly brush hers. 

“Hey,” she said softly, and Lucas was already whipped.

\-----

Maya wrapped her arms around herself. The night air was getting chillier, and she felt goosebumps creeping up her skin- but she also figured it could be because of the certain someone sitting next to her. His presence seemed to be making her more and more uneasy lately. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucas smiling. “Hey,” he replied in kind, letting his legs dangle off the pier like Maya’s were. “What’re you doing out here all by yourself?”

“It’s nice out here.” Maya shifted, turning to face Lucas, who of course was already looking at her. “It’s quiet and...well, I need some of that.” Lucas nodded in reply. “Why are you out here? Cowboy got cabin fever?” She joked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at him. Lucas chuckled, turning back to face the lake. 

“I can’t watch Back to the Future again. I think I’ve watched it more than anyone should in a lifetime.” He chuckled again, and Maya turned to look over the lake as well. They sat in silence for a bit, just enjoying each other’s company. Maya, for the first time in a while, suddenly found his presence comforting. He had this homely, soft energy that she adored- and his refreshing pine scent always made her heart skip a beat. The goosebumps remained, but Maya was relaxed. 

“Crazy we’re going to be done with high school so soon, huh?” Maya asked, her previously mocking tone going serious. She hadn’t opened up to anyone about her worries about the coming year besides her mother and Riley. She didn’t want to admit how terrified she was of the future. 

“Yeah. Crazy.” Lucas smiles softly, fidgeting slightly. He seemed a bit uneasy, Maya noted. She let out a deep sigh. As relaxing as he could be, Lucas also gave her a sensation of anxiety whenever he was around her. It wasn’t his fault, though, she knew. But Maya also knew she couldn’t be the only one feeling the constant tension between them. Whether it was due to her harbored feelings or something else, she didn’t like the anxiety all that much. 

“It’s a little scary,” she admitted, biting her lip, “thinking about...all of it,” she finished vaguely, but Lucas nodded.

“I get it. I don’t know how I’ll be able to...join the real world. I never thought I’d want to stay in high school.”

“Tell me about it.” Maya frowned. “Plus…” She paused for a moment. Opening up to anyone was a challenge for her, unless it was Riley. Even with Lucas, who she cared about deeply, she felt a little unsettled. “I mean, I’ll have a huge amount of money in student loans to pay off. Even with Shawn contributing to college, it still isn’t enough.” 

Lucas furrowed his brow in reply, and Maya swung her legs a little bit. “Sorry about that,” he murmured. “I’ll have some loans, too...but…”

“But not as much as me. I get it.” Maya ran her hand through her hair. “It’s unfair, but it’s just how it is.”

“I guess so.” Lucas hesitated. “You can also get scholarships.”

Maya snorted. “Yeah, right. I doubt that.”

Lucas turned to face her, a confused look on his face. “What? Maya, you’re definitely smart and talented enough. If at least some colleges don’t consider you, they’re crazy.”

Maya flushed pink. “Oh, please. C’mon, Huckleberry, you don’t have to-”

“You’re an amazingly talented person,” Lucas said firmly, looking Maya right in the eyes, and she felt the goosebumps again. “I know you know that.” Maya said nothing, but didn’t break the eye contact. Lucas sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to reply, gave up, and turned away and faced the lake once again. “If it counts for anything, I think you’re really great.”

Maya felt a lump in her throat rising, but she swallowed it down. Her whole body suddenly felt even colder. Desperate to change the subject, she cleared her throat. “At least we don’t have to take the SATs.”

Lucas stilled, obviously aware of Maya’s desperate attempt to veer the conversation away from personal subjects, the tension heightening. “I’m worried, too. Going away to college? I don’t want to leave my family. We just became...whole again.” Maya softened, her facade starting to melt away. Lucas’ father and his mother, while still married, had lived apart until junior year. His father had had an affair, and upon finding out, Layla Friar had taken Lucas and his sisters to New York. Fortunately, they had made up, and his father had moved back in with them. Maya understood how he felt. She reached over and took his hand in hers, relishing at the touch of his warm, calloused hand against her cold, smooth one. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back. 

“I understand what you mean. In a way. It feels like Shawn just became a part of my family, you know? But it’s different, I guess.” 

“Not too much.”

They had reached a lull in the conversation, and their hands fell back to their sides, breaking the touch. They both stared off at the horizon; Maya swung her legs a bit, and Lucas fiddled with the bottom of his sweatshirt. The silence was uneasy, and Maya wracked her head for something else to bring up, but she had nothing she wanted to say. Luckily, Lucas spoke, his voice a bit huskier. “I would’ve bet good money we would have ended up together by now.”

Maya turned her head to stare at him, her eyes wide, and she was suddenly very aware of how fast her heart is thudding in her chest. Lucas’ eyes were still focused on the horizon, his jaw clenched, hands still at his sides. “What?” Maya asked, her voice subdued.

He still wouldn’t look over at her, but Maya could see his seafoam colored eyes darkening. “I really thought we could have happened.”

Maya turned back, the both of them looking out over the lake once again. It truly was a beautiful scene: the dark blue of the sky fading into pink where the sky met the horizon; the lights of the homes across the lake twinking in the darkness; Lucas and Maya sitting beside each other in front of it all. The image would stay with Maya for a while, until she laid the thought out onto a canvas. She suddenly found her voice. “I never stopped.”

Lucas slowly turned his head once again to look at her, his face a mixture of confusion and hope. It was his turn to ask, “What?”

Maya felt a lump of anxiety and overwhelming emotion in her throat, but she swallowed it. She didn’t need to search for the words; it was as if all her sentiments that had been held back for the past five years were suddenly ready to spill out. “I never stopped, Lucas. I stepped back, I know...but I never stopped liking you.” She had loved him, but after three years of nothing going on between them, she wasn’t sure where her heart was anymore. All she was sure of was that she had romantic feelings for him, and they were strong.

Searching Lucas’ face, Maya noticed there was an emotion in Lucas’ eyes that Maya couldn’t quite read as he seemed to ponder her revelation. Hesitating, he replied, his voice softer than it was before. “I always wondered what could’ve happened if...if it all had happened differently.” It was no mystery to either what Lucas had meant. The messy web of relationships they had seemingly untied back in freshman year had never really been cut away. Maya had done what she thought had needed to be done; she had sent Lucas to Riley, and it appeared to everyone but her that that was the end of the whole mess of a triangle.

“Me too.”

“It was incredibly messy,” Lucas said, a mirthless smile on his face as he shook his head at the stupidity of their younger selves. “We were just kids. We had do damn clue what we were doing.”

“Yeah.” Maya bit her lip, peering up at his chiseled face, and she finally recognized the look in his eyes.  _ Affection _ . 

He smiled, this time noticeably genuinely content, and Maya felt her heart skip a beat. She always had a hard time resisting him, especially when he smiled.  _ Damnit, Maya. Stop being such a sap for him _ . “I didn’t stop, either.” When Maya remained silent, Lucas continued to speak, his tone firm and slightly wavering, although Maya wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or affection for her. “I still have feelings for you, too.”

Maya honestly wasn’t quite sure what to do with his revelation. On one hand, she was  _ overjoyed _ \- it was if the universe that hadn’t cared for her for years was suddenly aligning just for her. It was like finally finding the pieces of a puzzle that fit together that completed the whole piece. With him looking at her like she held the universe in her hands, Maya was ready to throw all caution and restraint to the wind and kiss him. Let all worries fade away and just focus on how damn much she cared for him. On the other hand, however, she was suddenly all in her own head. Maya had never had much self esteem, and the events of freshman year surely hadn’t done anything to help her. She had no idea if she was good enough for Lucas- she hoped desperately that she could make him happy, but her hopes didn’t always work out. Their trip to the ski lodge had been an example of that.

In addition to those worries, there was Riley. Maya cared deeply for her best and oldest friend, but Maya had convinced herself for years that to make Riley happy, Maya had to step out of the equation and let Lucas step forward instead. Riley and Lucas had broken up and remained close friends, sure, but Maya was an expert on hiding feelings, and she figured it entirely possible that she could hurt Riley by being with Lucas.

“You...you do?” Maya was secure of herself and who she was. She didn’t  _ dislike  _ herself necessarily, but she didn’t always know if she was good enough. Especially for Lucas. 

Lucas’ smile was kind, and he took her hand in his once more. “Yeah.”

“Why?” She cocked an eyebrow, her body tensing at his touch. She always acted on emotion and instinct, but there was something about Lucas that made him get into her head. It wasn’t bad, per say, but it made things so much more complicated for her. 

“Is it that hard for you to believe that I could care so much about you?”

_ Well, I don’t want that for Maya. I want Maya to be happy. _

_ That kinda makes up for everything. _

_ The blonde beauty.  _

Maya hated living in the past, but her feelings for Lucas were so deeply rooted in their history that she couldn’t help it. She briefly remembered what Zay had told her in freshman year, about something Lucas had said about her when she wasn’t in class.

_ Deep down, Maya is beautiful. _

She swallowed, her gaze locked on his. His smile had slightly faded, but the look in his eyes was still the same. Maya’s body could have been on fire and she wouldn’t have noticed. All she could suddenly think about was him.

“No,” she said, not breaking the eye contact. “It’s just…you’re...”

“Crazy, huh?” He said, cracking his toothy grin at her. “Crazy. But looking at you...knowing you...it’s not hard to see why I’d be hung up on you for years.”

Maya opened her mouth, aware that nothing was coming out. She realized, looking up at him, how long she had been waiting to hear this from him. 

It was Lucas or nobody.

She had known this for a while, but always pushed the thought away. She had dated a few people during high school, and while she had had feeling for each of them, she knew none of them compared. 

Lucas cupped her face with his hand, leaning in. He paused for a second, his eyes flickering to hers before looking back down at her lips.

Next thing she knew, he was kissing her, both of his hands sliding into her hair, pulling her closer to him. She went with him willingly, snaking her arms up and draping them around his neck. He kissed her like a man deprived of love, slowly and softly and with more passion than Maya had witnessed in a lifetime. She returned in kind, melting into his touch. She poured the three years of harbored feelings into that one kiss. Lucas sighed into her mouth, and she could feel him smiling as he kissed her.

They pulled back, somewhat reluctantly. Maya’s hair was slightly askew from his hands being tangled in her curls, and Lucas’ perfect grin made Maya’s heart leap once again. Lucas’ hands slowly slid to her waist, resting there, electricity coursing through both of their veins. Maya wondered if she had just fallen asleep on the dock, because it was hard to believe this was really happening. That  _ he _ was happening. 

“Crazy,” she mumbled with a smile, before kissing Lucas again. She vaulted herself at him, catching him off guard. They both lost their balance, tipping over and falling off the dock into the water. Maya yelped into his mouth as they fell in, the water splashing around them. Sinking for a moment, they both broke the surface again. Lucas could stand- the water was only up to his chin when he was on his flat feet- but Maya had to tread water to keep herself from sinking. Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist, laughing against her mouth as he leaned in to kiss her once more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. The wet and heavy jean jacket weighed her down, but Lucas kept a firm grip on her. They stayed like that for a moment because Maya pulled back, letting her arms fall and rest on his shoulders. They stared at one another for a moment before bursting out into laughter simultaneously, the hilarity of their situation reaching their love-addled brains. Lucas let go off her, and they made their way to the shore, Maya swimming until her toes could reach the sandy bottom. Lucas waded out, Maya following suit, the chilly evening air hitting their soaked clothes and skin as they walked onto the land. Lucas turned back and smiled at her, and she took his hand. They began to make their way back up to the cabin, but Maya let go of his hand, fiddling with the buttons on her water-soaked jacket as they walked in comfortable silence to the back porch. 

Some might call it bad luck, others might disagree, but as they made their way up the bath, the clear evening sky became covered in pleasantly gray clouds, thunder cracking as the weather made a complete 180 degree turn. Rain suddenly started pouring, but Maya wasn’t about to complain. Lucas took her hand and pulled her behind a tree, kissing her for the fourth time, his hands back in her hair. Maya loved the rain- she much preferred storms to sunny days, and it was a million times better having Lucas pressed up against her, his lips crashing into hers, his touch comforting and exciting all at once. 

The next few minutes were a blur to Maya. After the quick stop to kiss behind the tree, they ran up the steps, laughing as they entered the kitchen through the back door. Maya squeezed out her hair, and Lucas pulled off his sweatshirt, shoes, and socks. Maya took off her sandals, and they entered the room where everyone else was watching the movie, leaving a trail of puddles they undoubtedly would have to clean later. Everyone turned to look at them, and Shawn paused the movie.

“What happened to you two?” Questioned Riley, her face scrunched up as it normally did when she was confused.

“Why were you out in the pouring rain? You’ll both catch a cold,” Shawn fretted. “You should dry off.”

Zay jumped up, dashing to the bathroom. They heard a clatter, a yelp, and a slamming of a cabinet door before Zay burst back into the room, clutching a singular towel. “Here. Dry off,” he said, thrusting the towel at Lucas, “together,” he added, smirking. Maya rolled her eyes at him. Zay, of course, didn’t know about what had just went down between the two- it was just Zay being Zay. 

Isadora, ever the realist, also rolled her eyes at Zay. “Ridiculous, Isaiah. You cannot expect them to dry off with  _ one _ towel.”

“But-” Zay began to argue, but stopped. “Just thought it would be cute,” he muttered, going back to the bathroom and retrieving a second towel. 

Lucas chuckled, and Maya smiled to herself. Not to be sappy, but she really did love the sound of his laugh. “We fell in the lake,” he explained, and everyone else in the room seemed much more interested in the story.

“ _ How? _ ” Farkle implored.

“I...tackled him,” Maya said, blurting out the first thing she could think of. It wasn’t a lie, anyway- she really had launched herself onto him, causing them to fall. She looked up at Lucas, communicating to him in her gaze that she didn’t want to tell everyone about their kiss quite yet.

Lucas nodded. “I called her shortstack, and  _ somebody _ thought that was grounds to throw us both into the water,” he smirked at her, Maya scrunching up her face at him. 

“You got what you deserved, Hopalong,” she quipped, crossing her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow playfully. 

“Oh, really?”

“Get a room!” Zay suddenly spoke up, and both Maya and Lucas rolled their eyes. Shawn sighed, looking down at his watch before looking back at them.

“Alright, one of you shower, and then the other. And please clean up the puddles, guys.”

“Of course, sir,” Lucas replied gently, smiling at Shawn, who smiled back. Maya grinned to herself- Shawn already loved Lucas, and she knew that when Shawn found out about the two of them, he would try to be angry at Lucas- but she didn’t know how long Shawn would keep up an act like that. Oh, well. It was a problem for the future. Now, she was just blissfully happy.

\-----

Maya had cleaned the puddles, showered, and slipped into a large t-shirt and sweatpants, feeling relaxed and comfortable. She craved Lucas- to kiss him, or to just see him and talk to him. He had awakened this  _ feeling _ in her that she couldn’t remember ever feeling before. She felt as if her heart had grown, as if she was as light as air- as much as she hated to admit it, the memory of their kisses made her giddy. The jean jacket she had borrowed from Topanga was in the drier- Maya couldn’t help but ponder the coincidence. The coincidence being that it was the same jacket Topanga wore when she and Cory first said “I love you” and the jacket Maya wore when she and Lucas finally got together. 

Maya was sharing a room with Riley and Isadora, who were downstairs playing foosball with Shawn and Zay. She could hear shouts of triumph and anger, as expected; but she also heard a knock at her door. She slid off the bed she was sharing with Isadora (Riley kicked in her sleep, and neither Maya nor Isadora were keen on waking up with bruises), and opened the door, to see a freshly showered Lucas in a t-shirt and sweats. He smiled softly at her, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss because stepping in and closing the door behind him. Maya raised an eyebrow. “You need anything, Huckleberry?” She asked playfully, earning a soft laugh from Lucas.

“Figured we should...discuss everything,” he said vaguely, the tips of his ears turning pink.

“Oh, yeah?” Maya wasn’t going to make this easy on him. If he wanted to talk about their kiss, she wanted more from him. He couldn’t get by on a wave of vagueness. “What about?”

Lucas groaned. “You’re never going to give me a break, are you?”

“Nah,” Maya grinned, and Lucas rolled his eyes, although he was smiling. He took a step toward her, raising an eyebrow as he towered over her.

“I want to talk about our kiss,” he said, the look in his eyes growing darker, his smile dangerous. Maya’s eyes grew wide, and she shuddered- the shudder she’d give him whenever he annoyed her- or impressed her, for that matter.

She balled up his collar in her fist and pulled him downwards and closer so she could look him straight in his eyes. “And what about it?”

Lucas kept her gaze, staring her down as she did the same. “I want to talk about what it means.”

“You sound like a stereotypical girl from a rom-com.”

“Oh, how you wound me.”

Maya grinned at him, and he smiled in return, raising his eyebrows. She let him go, and he straightened up, before sitting on the edge of her bed. Maya followed suit, facing him, an expectant look on her face.

“Well...it was about time,” he said, and the soft look on his happy face was enough to make Maya melt. She wasn’t one for cliches, but she really was weak for him sometimes. 

“I’d say.” 

“And I’d love for it to...for us too…” Lucas was stammering, adorably nervous- it felt like much was on the line at the same time it felt as if nothing could go wrong. The past five years had led up to this, and Maya was not going to let him go.

She had waited too long.

“I’d love for us to be in a relationship now,” Lucas finally managed to say, smiling expectantly at Maya.    
“Me too. It would be a waste to throw what we have away.”

“Exactly,” Lucas replied, his shit-eating grin returning. “I’ve waited a while to be able to be able to call myself your boyfriend, you know.”

“You’re a sap.”

“What can I say? You bring it out in me,” Lucas murmured.

Maya flushed, her cheeks turning pink. Lucas’ sudden confidence reassured her, but his nervousness hadn’t made her uneasy in the slightest. But it was nice to know that he was sure of himself, of her, of whatever was between them. “Lucas…” She didn’t want to ruin their happiness, but this was the real world, and she had her concerns. “I want to date you, but I don’t want to tell anyone yet. I just…”

“It’s alright, Maya,” Lucas reassured her, taking her hand in his. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” she said firmly. “It’s just all so new to me. I don’t know how everyone will react- well, I have an idea of how Zay might, but the others…” Lucas nodded in understanding, his gaze steady and soft. “Like Riley...I love her, but it scares me.”

“I understand. If you’re not comfortable telling people, I’m fine with it. But someday,” he suddenly perked up, turning the mood from dead serious to cheerful and flirtatious, “I’m counting on being able to tell everyone how much I like you.”

“It’s a deal,” Maya beamed. “I won’t be able to hide it forever, anyway.” 


End file.
